Travel News

Oceania

By Judy Newell

Mexico Travel News

Mexico City Museum Tour

Enjoy a five-day getaway in beautiful, historical Mexico City from April 18–22. Explore museum treasures and experience the culture of the city with two bilingual specialist guides on a small group getaway from San Miguel de Allende.

From visiting the Palacio de Bellas Artes to floating down the canals of Xochimilco and discovering the pyramids of Teotihuacán, this trip will make for an enlightening venture.

Highlights of the itinerary include the Museum Soumaya, the Palacio de Iturbide, the Museo Mural de Diego Rivera, Chapultepec Castle’s National Museum of History, and the National Anthropology Museum.

In the historic center, you will tour the Zócalo, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and the Templo Mayor Museum. You will also have the opportunity to attend the Ballet Folklorico or Lucha Libre Show as optional evening events.

Join two specialist bilingual guides on this exclusive five-day tour limited to 16 guests. Find yourself in a melting pot of art, history, and culture in Mexico City, where the ancient past and contemporary present blend.

The cost for the tour is US$765 per person, based on double occupancy, or US$990 for single occupancy. It includes round-trip transportation, all transportation within the tour, 4-star hotel accommodations, breakfast daily, comprehensive history and art conversations with two expert guides, visits to unique restaurants, and all entrance fees. Contact Judy Newell at Perfect Journeys for a detailed itinerary.

International News

Paris Ritz Hotel to Auction Furnishings

Following a renovation, the world famous Ritz Hotel in Paris has decided to sell off more than 3,500 pieces of furniture and objets d’art for which it no longer has a home. Ranging from sofas that once filled the salon frequented by novelist Marcel Proust to barstools that propped up Ernest Hemingway and F Scott Fitzgerald in the 1920s, the lots cover the sweep of the hotel’s illustrious 120-year history.

The sale, to take place from Apr 17–21, is being held by Artcurial, an auction house that has previously sold off the contents of the Hotel de Crillon and Plaza Athenee in Paris and the Hotel de Paris in Monaco.

The Ritz hotel, which occupies one side of the octagonal Place Vendome near the city’s most fashionable boutiques, has been owned by Egyptian billionaire Mohammed al-Fayed since 1979. It was founded in 1898 by Swiss hotelier Cesar Ritz and reopened in 2016 after a four-year renovation. It has 71 rooms and 71 suites.

Cruise News

Ballet- and Opera-Themed Cruises on Silversea

Cruising represents an excellent opportunity to see the world in an enriching way, and ultraluxury line Silversea certainly maintains that philosophy. The line has announced a brand-new collection of ballet-and opera-themed voyages for 2018 and 2019.

Two ballet voyages are on offer, with one setting sail this year and another tapped for 2019. The first departs aboard the brand-new Silver Muse on Aug 19, 2018. A ten-day sojourn around the Mediterranean, it sails from Venice to Monte Carlo, with stops made in Opatija, Dubrovnik, Valletta, Trapani, Olbia, Portofino, and Livorno.

The second ballet-themed cruise sets sail on Mar 21, 2019. It is a 13-day voyage aboard SilverMuse that sails through the heart of Asia on a route between Singapore and Hong Kong.

Silversea is offering a total of three opera-themed Enriched Voyages, with one departing in 2018 and two setting sail next year.

The first departs Venice aboard the Silver Muse on Sep 28, 2018, on a 10-day cruise from Venice to Piraeus, the port for Athens, Greece. Additional departures available in 2019 include the classy Silver Spirit, departing Barcelona on Apr 25, 2019, and the Silver Shadow, which sets out on Oct. 22, 2019, roundtrip from Piraeus.

Words of the Wise and Well-Traveled

“People travel because it teaches them things they could learn no other way.” —Lance Morrow

Deal of the Week

Oceania’s 15th Anniversary Sale

Take advantage of the three free amenities voyages on March, April, and May 2018. Receive a free beverage package and a free shipboard credit, plus free unlimited Internet. The offers are available until the sailing date on eight exciting cruises.

Judy Newell, an international travel consultant for over 40 years, heads Perfect Journeys and specializes in unique travel experiences to destinations around the world. She designs journeys that are tailored to suit your interests, abilities, and budget. Please contact Judy for further information on Travel News topics and around-the-world travel; cell phone 415 111 8765; Vonage 949-300-3682; email: judynewell@perfectjourneys.net. Her office is in Rancho Los Labradores, Car. a Dolores Hidalgo. View the latest travel specials on the website perfectjourneys.net.